MLB Player News

Rodriguez will start in right field and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Reds manager Terry Francona is shaking things up a bit as he aims to jumpstart a struggling offense. Rodriguez earned the bump up in the lineup after going 5-for-13 with one home run and one double over his last four contests. It's the first time in his young big-league career that Rodriguez has batted higher than sixth. Usual leadoff man Elly De La Cruz is batting second for the Reds.

Moore went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday in an extra-inning loss to Cleveland.

Moore gave the Angels a 3-0 lead with his third-inning solo shot, but the Guardians eventually came back and pulled out the victory. The long ball was Moore's first in the big leagues in 2026 and just his second extra-base hit through 39 plate appearances. He's slashed a meager .167/.205/.278 with an ugly 41.0 percent strikeout rate during that span, but he posted a .943 OPS with 11 homers, 60 RBI and 14 stolen bases across 86 contests with Triple-A Salt Lake, so there seems to be potential for more potent production that Moore hasn't tapped into yet.

Fraley (hernia) went 1-for-3 while playing six innings in right field Tuesday in his first rehab game for Triple-A Durham.

After undergoing hernia surgery in May and landing on the injured list, Fraley received the green light to begin a rehab assignment in late June. The 31-year-old made just five appearances in the minors before being pulled off the assignment in mid-July when he experienced a setback, but after a prolonged shutdown, he's made enough progress to resume playing in games. Due to the extended time he's missed, Fraley will likely need multiple games at Triple-A to regain his timing at the plate and improve his conditioning. He could be a candidate to return from the 60-day injured list after the active roster expands to 28 players next Tuesday.

Melton (hamstring) went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base Tuesday in his return to the Triple-A Durham lineup after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.

Melton missed approximately three and a half weeks due to a right hamstring strain but looked plenty healthy in his return to the Triple-A lineup while extending his hitting streak to seven games in the process. Over 168 plate appearances at Durham this season, Melton is slashing .307/.410/.562 with seven home runs and 26 steals. He's part of the Rays' 40-man roster and could get a chance to make his Tampa Bay debut in September, when the active roster expands to 28.

Slater became a free agent after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Rays on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Slater was slashing .305/.407/.453 in 35 games with Triple-A Durham, but since a promotion to the majors wasn't imminent, he'll seek a gig elsewhere. The 33-year-old outfielder has slashed .231/.311/.277 across 28 contests between three different big-league teams this season.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-3 extra-innings loss to the Red Sox.

The 26-year-old outfielder led off the sixth inning by taking Payton Tolle deep and tying the game at 2-2. It was Hernandez's fourth homer in the last 12 games and his 20th of the season, doubling his total from 2025 in only 14 more games. After a disastrous start to the campaign that saw him limp into June with a .571 OPS, Hernandez has come to life and delivered an .850 OPS over his last 66 contests with 18 of his home runs, along with 31 runs and 36 RBI.

Kelenic elected to become a free agent Tuesday.

After passing through waivers following his removal from the Rangers' 40-man roster, Kelenic has decided to test out free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. The outfielder previously chose the same route before eventually re-signing with Texas, so that could happen again.

Cortes went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Minnesota.

Cortes supplied the game's first runs, taking Taj Bradley deep with two outs in the second inning after Alika Williams doubled, Cores' first homer since July 18. The blast proved particularly important with Gage Jump keeping Minnesota off the board until the seventh. Cortes has now gone deep eight times this season, while Tuesday's performance raised his batting average to .258 and his OPS to .739.

Kwan went 5-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's 8-6 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Kwan scored on all three of Jose Ramirez's doubles to help the Guardians overcome a 5-0 hole after two innings. Kwan, who has multiple hits in three straight games, has sizzled since the end of July, posting a .380/.482/.435 slash line with 23 runs scored over the last 23 contests.

Duran went 1-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Marlins.

Duran blew open a tight game with an 11th-inning grand slam. He's had a down year with a .209/.266/.370 slash line, but Duran has shown a propensity for clutch hits late in games. He leads the majors with 17 RBI in the ninth inning or later.